South Asia: Yawning Chasm

The story of education in South Asia is a multilayered one. The region is becoming the hub of technology with the emergence of India’s computer and technological know-how. In 2001, Sri Lanka had already achieved universal primary education. And prior to the devastation wrought by the 2004 tsunami, the Maldives was fast approaching universal primary schooling. Yet in 2001, South Asia was the home to more than a third of the world’s children who were missing out on basic education. Some 42 million from the region were not in school.

The most recently available data from this region show that at the end of 2001:

·  South Asia had about 23.5 million girls out of school

·  India had 26.8 million school-age children not in primary school, accounting for 23 per cent of global primary school absentees

·  Pakistan had 7.8 million school-age children not attending primary school, accounting for 7 per cent of the world’s school absentees

·  Bangladesh accounted for 3 per cent of the total number of children not in primary school with 3.8 million not in classes

·  South Asia has had more than double the annual rate of increase in primary education for girls than boys between the period from 1980 to 2001

·  The overall net enrolment/attendance ratio improved an average of 0.9 per cent per year, the second largest regional increase worldwide.

25 by 2005* acceleration countries in the region:

Afghanistan

Bangladesh

Bhutan

India

Nepal

Pakistan

*The ‘25 by 2005’ acceleration campaign is a UNICEF initiative designed to intensify efforts in 25 countries in grave danger of failing to meet the Millennium Development Goal of gender parity in education by 2005. Countries were selected for inclusion if they met one or more of the following criteria: enrolment rates under 70 per cent for girls, gender gaps of more than 10 per cent in primary education, more than 1 million girls not in school, included in the World Bank’s Education For All Fast-Track Initiative or ravaged by crises that affect school opportunities, such as HIV/AIDS and conflict.